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Review: Beers of Yee-Haw Brewing

May 12, 2016

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Johnson City, Tennessee is the home to Yee-Haw Brewing, which offers four permanent brews in addition to rotating seasonals. We tried all the members of the primary lineup (from bottles, which today you’ll find only in Tennessee and Kentucky). Thoughts follow.

Yee-Haw Pilsner – Surprisingly bold for a pilsner, both showcasing ample malt along with moderate hops and a big nutty character to boot — the latter two of which are not readily characteristic of pilsner. Notes of roasted vegetables and even coffee arrive on the back end as the finish fades. The overall experience is engaging and a little mysterious — it’s not a bad beer, but stylistically it doesn’t really fit with expectations. 5.3% abv. B+

Yee-Haw Pale Ale – Restrained, but bitter enough (~35 IBUs), and backed up by notes of mushroom, fresh herbs, and roasted meats — alongside sweeter, chewy malt notes. With much in common with the English style of pale ale (rather than today’s hops-or-bust west coast IPAs), it balances bitterness with other elements to showcase a gentler, lightly sweeter ale that’s worth some attention. 5.7% abv. A-

Yee-Haw Eighty (80 Shilling) Scottish-Style Ale – Bold and nutty, with overtones of coffee, caramelized carrot, brown sugar, and toffee. Its burly body smolders on the tongue and goes down easy, any bitterness rather expediently washed away by the sweet malt and hints of raisin and prune on the finish. 5% abv. B+

Yee-Haw Brewing Dunkel Munich Dark Lager – Another rich and nutty beer, loaded with coffee and chocolate overtones and a heavy, belly-filling maltiness that lingers forever. The finish is loaded with the essence of chocolate malted milk balls, with a hoppy, slightly weedy bitter edge. Compare and contrast to the 80. 5.5% abv. B+